GITAM files police complaint

GITAM files police complaint

07/10/2020

Special Correspondent VISAKHAPATNAM

GITAM (Deemed to be University) on Tuesday filed a complaint at the Visakhapatnam Cyber Crime police station, alleging that some persons have been indulging in bad propaganda against the institution on social media. University Registrar D. Gunasekharan lodged the complaint substantiating with documents.

KPSC ordered to pay compensation for not providing answer script

KPSC ordered to pay compensation for not providing answer script

07/10/2020

Sharath S. Srivatsa Bengaluru

The Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) has been directed by the Karnataka Information Commission (KIC) to pay a compensation of ₹1 lakh to a candidate of Gazetted Probationers 2015 mains examination, who had been denied copies of the answer scripts with marks awarded, and had been made to “run from pillar to post.”

The appellant Sudhanva Bhandolkar had approached the KIC after being denied the answer scripts by the commission. The order signed by State Information Commissioner K.P. Manjunatha on September 29 said that PIO and Section Officer Shashikala had not provided the information despite the KIC order. The KIC has also slapped a fine of ₹25,000 on the officer.

Showcause notices had been issued as to why ₹25,000 penalty should not be imposed for not providing the information, and also as to why compensation of ₹1 lakh should not be awarded for loss or other detriments suffered by the appellant. “Ms. Shashikala has not appeared before the KIC and also chose to ignore the directions, to submit her explanation for the showcause notices,” the order noted.

The KIC has directed the KPSC to deduct ₹25,000 from the salary payable to her in 5 equal instalments starting from the month of October, 2020 and report compliance.

The KIC noted that the appellant has been made to run from pillar to post for securing information in spite of being entitled to get it within 30 days by virtue of the RTI Act, and the appellant informed that the KPSC had approached the Karnataka High Court against the September 7, 2020, order of KIC. The appellant has also informed that he had to engage a senior counsel for whom he had to pay an exorbitant fees besides undergoing the mental agony.

Guidelines issued to ensure safety from Covid during festival season

Guidelines issued to ensure safety from Covid during festival season

New Delhi:07.10.2020

Cautioning people against the expected surge in Covid-19 cases during the upcoming festival season which may lead to public gatherings and complacency among people, the Centre has issued guidelines on preventive measures to contain the spread.

While suggesting to allow festive events only outside the containment zones, the government urged people residing in the restricted areas and vulnerable population including pregnant women, elderly and those with co-morbidities to celebrate all festivals inside their homes and not move out.

Gatherings will also have to ensure adequate area for events with a detailed site map and proper markings to maintain social distancing and not allowing touching of idols and holy books, to prevent the spread of infection, according to the standard operating procedures (SoP) issued by the health ministry on Tuesday.

"Festive events shall be permitted only outside the Containment Zones. Organisers, staff and visitors from Containment Zones shall not be permitted. People residing inside Containment Zones may be encouraged to observe all festivals inside their homes and not move out," the ministry added.

It said that the festivals, fairs, rallies, exhibitions, cultural functions, processions and concerts associated with the festivities are mass events and advised the administrative requirement such as identification of spatial boundaries and preparation of a detailed site plan in compliance with thermal screening, physical distancing, sanitisation, route planning etc.

“In case of events that run for days or weeks, the crowd density doesn't remain the same throughout and usually peaks around certain hours of the day and some previously known auspicious days,” the guidelines said suggesting that planning for the event should specifically factor this so that crowds are regulated and managed to ensure physical distance and frequent sanitisation.

Full story on www.toi.com

Cinemas to reopen from Oct 15 with 50% capacity

Cinemas to reopen from Oct 15 with 50% capacity

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:07.10.2020

The government on Tuesday gave the green signal for cinemas to reopen from October 15 and issued directions such as running at 50% capacity, physical distancing in common areas, use of masks, and easy availability of sanitisers in touch-free mode at entry and exit points.

Information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar released the SOPs on Tuesday and said measures like one-seat distance between viewers, would ensure that even as the business of film exhibition resumes, it is done keeping in mind all safety protocols.

While cinema halls in containment zones will remain shut, the government has allowed states and UTs to add extra measures in their respective regions as per local assessments. The guidelines mandate adequate physical distancing of at least six feet outside the auditoriums, common areas and waiting areas at all times, use of face masks, and mandatory availability of hand sanitisers at entry and exit points and common areas inside the premises.

While the use of Aarogya Setu app has not been made mandatory, the SOPs advise its installation and use. Javadekar also said online booking of tickets will be encouraged but box office will be open for single-screen theatres. “Proper ventilation has to be ensured and temperature setting of all air conditioning should be above 23 degree celsius,” he said.

The new SOPs also disallow any overlap between start, finish or intermission time in multiplexes. They also mandate the collection of contact numbers of all those who book tickets to facilitate contact tracing. Box offices will remain open for ticketing throughout the day and advance booking will be allowed to avoid crowds.

BACK TO BUSINESS

B’luru colleges see drop in int’l students’ admissions

B’luru colleges see drop in int’l students’ admissions

SruthySusan.Ullas@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru:07.10.2020

A city that has charmed foreign students with its campuses is now witnessing a fall in the number of international students taking admissions this year, thanks to the pandemic. While admissions are open in most colleges of Bengaluru, with travel restrictions, late result announcements and fear of virus, many institutions are witnessing fewer new international students.

For instance, Christ deemed-to-be University, which gets about 600 students from abroad, has had 120 students joining in this year. “What used to be around 100 students from Nepal is 29 this time. There’s just one student from South Korea as against 50 in a normal year. The admissions through ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) scholarships are yet to come, but the numbers will not reach the normalcy. The drop is likely to affect the university revenue by 10-15%,” said Fr Abraham VM, vice-chancellor.

To attract foreign students, some colleges say they are not increasing the fees this yr

Varsities see rise in admission of NRIs

Rajkumar Chakraborty, director (admissions) of Presidency University, said students used to come to Bengaluru 6-8 months prior to the admission season, but this year it’s different.

“Students from Saudi Arabia and African countries, in particular, arrive early in the city to achieve English proficiency. They join English training centres and make a smooth transition when colleges open. This time, all of them returned home by March and are yet to return to take admissions,” Rajkumar said.

However, the number of NRI and Person of Indian Origin students returning to get admissions has increased, he added. Conceding a drop in international students, Christo Joseph, director, strategy and planning, Garden City University, said there’s an increase in admission from NRI students, especially from West Asia, in the recent past and attributed it to economic situation arising out of job losses, salary cuts and families returning home.

Universities are taking measures to attract students to campuses. Jain deemed-to-be University that had 700 foreign students last year has 420 this year. “Confirmations are slowly coming in for some courses, but not like previous years. While we do not see a drop from Saarc countries, the reduction is from those like Ethiopia and Somalia,” said Suhasini Gowda, senior adviser for international students and the scholars advisory centre of the university. Suhasini said they’re keeping fees almost the same as last year, besides giving students an option to pay in installments.

‘Early to comment on trend’

Some hope the situation will improve in the coming days. “A major chunk of our foreign students are from South Africa. Our consultants have started work in connecting with students,” said B Narasimha Murthy, vice-president, CMR Institute of Technology.

P Venugopal, regional director, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, which provides scholarships for foreign students to study at Indian campuses, said: “We got 1,400 applications between December 2019 and March 2020. Confirmations have started to come in only now. I’s early to comment on the trend, but it’s possible the pandemic affects the admissions.”

Double promotions to doctors on Covid-19 duty opposed

Double promotions to doctors on Covid-19 duty opposed

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Ahmedabad:07.10.2020

The state government had recently decided that doctors at government medical colleges doing Covid duty were entitled to double promotions, and this is being implemented at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital.

The decision has met with stiff protest from medical and paramedical staff across the state who want similar benefits, said sources aware of the matter. The protesters are likely to gather more support in coming days with nursing and outsourcing staff also pressing for similar demands. Many are also demanding permanent jobs for medical service during this Covid-19 crisis, sources added.

Promotions are usually given to doctors after five years of service. This year, due to Covid-19, doctors are likely to get not one but two promotions in a matter of three months, sources said. A list of doctors has already been prepared and it is now only a matter of time before their double promotions are announced, sources added.

“There are doctors who feel left out as their colleagues or juniors may get out of-turn promotions due to the Covid-19 crisis. Also the nursing staff is very upset as they have been working round-the-clock. The issue is likely to produce a backlash from members of medical and paramedical staff,” sources said.

Tough bargaining over AIADMK steering panel

Tough bargaining over AIADMK steering panel

Both Camps Go All Out For Best Deal

Julie.Mariappan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:  07.10.2020

The ruling AIADMK is all set to name Edappadi K Palaniswami as the chief minister candidate, and constitute a steering committee, a key demand put forth by deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam. Until Tuesday night, the OPS and EPS camps were engaged in hectic parleys to shortlist senior members for the committee who will represent the various castes, religions and regions. The talks, however, continued well into the night as the two sides wrangled over the composition of the committee. Senior leaders were, however, hopeful that all loose ends would be tied up and the announcements made as promised by AIADMK deputy coordinator K P Munusamy after the party executive committee meeting on September 28.

There was a flurry of activity at the residences of OPS and EPS on Greenways Road in Chennai on Tuesday as ministers and senior leaders held several rounds of talks. It began with deputy coordinators K P Munusamy and R Vaithilingam informing the deputy chief minister about the EPS team giving the green signal for constituting the steering committee. EPS had held a meeting with 17 ministers in his chamber at the Secretariat on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, four ministers, ministers SP Velumani, P Thangamani, D Jayakumar and R B Udayakumar visited Panneerselvam and discussed for two hours before going over to the chief minister for briefing. Sources said the powers and functions of the committee, and the selection of members were discussed threadbare. The leaders had a second round of discussion. The contention of the EPS camp is that there were too many claimants for the posts. Thangamani and Velumani, the close confidantes of EPS, however, were frontrunners.

While the names of ministers Jayakumar and Shanmugam and senior leader Natham R Viswanathan were mentioned, sources said veteran leaders Panruti S Ramachandran and J C D Prabhakar from the OPS group were in the race.

OPS arrived in Chennai on Monday night after a brief sojourn in his native Theni district. “After dilly-dallying over the steering committee, a precondition of the OPS faction for merger with the rival group in September 2017, the EPS camp conveyed its willingness to announce the formation of the committee along with the chief minister candidate on Wednesday,” said a senior leader. Initially, OPS wanted the committee to be set up first, and then announce the CM candidate. His contention was that the general council had already resolved to have a committee. “Now, both sides have decided to announce the members of the committee on Wednesday,” said the leader.

Late into the night, the OPS and EPS camps were engaged in hectic parleys to shortlist senior members for the committee who will represent the various castes, religions and regions